WL Implementation

4 System Implementation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

1. Not Knowing What You Purchased  – You read the RFP responses, reviewed the budget and chose a vendor, but do you really know what you purchased? Before making a system decision, have team members from various departments review the proposals. Your subject matter experts can provide you detailed information to assist in vendor selection, including system functionality and the possibility of additional costs.

2. Failing to Plan – Before the implementation team knocks at your door, take the time to formulate a project plan. Preparing for kick-off will expedite the launch of your new software. Create a project team of employees from various departments, not only IT, and plan your communication and meeting strategy. Gather critical databases and files that need to be added to the system while also establishing milestones and gaining the buy-in of executives.

3. Skipping Employee Training – You can see the system launch finish-line. It is tempting to rush the date and put employee training on the back burner, especially if the project is behind schedule; however, training is a key component of creating a successful implementation. Build it into the project timeline and give it the same level of importance as other tasks. Each team that has a touch-point with the system should be trained on their new role before launch, including IT (database management, help desk), customer service (client-facing), accounting (reporting) and marketing (communication tools).

4. Wrapping Up the Project After Going Live – You have made it to the go-live date and the system is operational, but it isn’t time to put away the project file. The post-implementation phase is critical to discovering problems, updating workflows and maintaining communications with your vendor. Ask departments to report issues so they can be corrected, and continue meeting with the project team to gather feedback from their departments.